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Manchester United academy coach Travis Binnion says their 4-0 defeat at Wanderers in the Papa Johns Trophy is evidence of the rising standard in League One.
Dapo Afolayan, Aaron Morley, Amadou Bakayoko and Conor Bradley were all on target as the Whites booked their place in the quarter final.
United also had a couple of chances during the first half, with James Trafford making a smart stop to deny Shola Shoretire.
Binnion told the club’s website: “I thought we rode our luck a little bit in terms of the pressure they put on us in the first 10 or 15 minutes.
“They were quite consistent all night with the pressure they put on us. I think up until maybe the last 10 minutes, the lads did really well to stay in the game and compete.
“We have created a couple of good chances first half, we could go 1-0 up and it maybe gives a different sort of feel to the rest of the game.
“But ultimately we have come up a little bit short and I don’t want to say that is to be expected because the football club we are, we are aspiring to play at a higher level than this - with all due respect to Bolton – with the players that are coming through.
“But what it does show is how good the players are in League One and how much our young players have still got to learn in order to compete and flourish at this level and then go higher in the Championship and the Premier League.”
Binnion felt Wanderers’ physical attributes played a key role in the result and says it is a good learning curve for United’s youngsters.
“Ultimately, it is quite sobering because we have ended up getting well beaten in the end, which is obviously not what we want,” he added.
“The intensity and tempo they play at, the physicality. They didn’t beat us up tonight, just the athleticism and intensity they play at – that is a given for where they are at in their careers and where they are at as a team.
“It is nights like these and competitions like this that are the best learning for our players.”
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